ST. LOUIS • With police on high alert from a spike of car break-ins — and Mayor Francis Slay demanding gates and guards at public parking lots — authorities fumbled an unusual opportunity last weekend to catch a thief red-handed.
A cellphone swiped from a car near Union Station late June 24 contained a tracking device that lets its owners follow every movement. But they said they were unable to get 50¶È»ÒÊÓƵ police interested for hours, until after the phone's battery died and the chance was lost.
Keith and Karla, a couple from Wildwood who asked that their last names not be used out of fear of retaliation from the thief, said they were baffled.
"Why didn't you seize the moment when we pretty much gift-wrapped a pretty good lead for you?" Keith asked, describing the experience to a reporter. "It was just astonishing. You'd think they'd take it a little more seriously to curtail the crime downtown."
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Police are now focused on the neighborhood where the Wildwood couple traced their phone to after another stolen cellphone was also tracked there.
Police Chief Dan Isom acknowledged Friday that his department erred on several fronts in responding to the victims' calls. But at the same time, he said, detectives were actively pursuing other leads in the 60 overnight break-ins, including theirs, that occurred in and around downtown.
Officers investigated blood left in one break-in, witness descriptions of the thieves' cars and tracking on yet another phone that led them to a house on University Street.
"We had many balls we were juggling in the air that night and we dropped one," the chief said. But, he added, "Many other balls were picked up that night and after."
The couple, who moved from Texas five years ago, were downtown that night with their two children for the Cardinals game — one of several events that police said provided a target-rich environment for thieves.
After the game, the family stopped for food, parking on the 2000 block of Eugenia Street, near Union Station. Their car and two others were hit.
Keith and Karla returned to their car to find the phone taken, along with $4,000 worth of camera equipment and a laptop computer. They reported it to police.
Later, at home, around 2:30 a.m. June 25, the couple used a program on their iPAD that allows GPS tracking of the phone.
They could see in real time where it traveled: in and around a house in the 5500 block of Harney Avenue, out into the yard, to a neighboring house and back.
Upon realizing they had found a direct link to the probable thief, the couple called the beat officer who responded earlier. He transferred them to the 6th District, where they spoke to someone on the desk whom police officials have not been able to identify. The couple said that person told them officers were too busy and that they should drive to the location themselves the next day — because calling from there would ensure a response.
They followed the instructions, driving out after their son's Saturday morning baseball game. By the time officers arrived, 10 hours had passed since their call.
At that point, the phone battery was dead and the tracking signal was gone. Police searched the house but found no sign of the phone.
By later that day, Mayor Slay was tweeting about security at downtown parking lots, putting blame on the people running them who had resisted hiring on-site attendants and putting in better lighting and fencing.
The thefts continued; early Wednesday, 20 more cars were hit.
Police were still searching for the thieves, believed to be at least two groups with different goals: one seeking any valuables, the other guns. Police said Friday they have several persons of interest and were actively seeking one individual believed responsible for break-ins, possibly including those from last weekend.
They also continue to look at the neighborhood on Harney.
Isom, upon hearing about the couple's calls, said the 6th District was indeed busy that night with a triple shooting and other incidents. But he criticized the "outrageous, stupid statement" by the person at the desk. He also said a dispatcher should have put out a call to see whether anyone was available to respond.
The couple said officers told them Saturday of talking with a 17-year-old male at the house on Harney who acted suspiciously. Police officials, who have confirmed Keith and Karla's account, continue to investigate.
"Certainly, it would have been better to go there that night," Isom said. "Whether it would have resulted in additional information, I don't know."